Speeding tickets flag down cabinet minister

The British Columbia cabinet minister responsible for auto insurance and road safety has stepped down after numerous speeding tickets caused his drivers license to be revoked.

Solicitor General John Van Dongen said he accepts and will not contest a decision by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, and has complied with the order to mail in his license.

In his cabinet post, Van Dongen has served as minister responsible for the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, the firm that supervises the province’s government-run auto insurance program. ICBC oversees drivers licensing, vehicle registration,
insurance and road safety.

Van Dongen steps down in the middle of a provincial election campaign. He is running for reelection in the riding (electoral district) of Abbotsford South.

He is not the first prominent British Columbia politician to run afoul of the law while on the road.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell was pulled over in 1983, after being spotted driving erratically during an extended Christmas vacation to Maui. The premier was photographed, charged with driving under the influence and spent a night in jail. He later paid a fine.

The Minister of Highways under longtime Premier W.A. C. “Wacky” Bennett, Phil Gaglardi, gained the nickname “Flying Phil” for his numerous speeding tickets. At one point, Gaglardi claimed he was just “testing the curves.”

“Flying Phil” later lost his cabinet post when he took a relative for a free ride on a government jet.

The decision by Van Dongen to relinquish ICBC responsibilities was big news on the B.C. campaign trail Friday, headlining even the Web site of the relentlessly pro-government Vancouver Sun.

“I fully recognize the importance of public safety and compliance with the law on
our roads,” Van Dongen said in a prepared statement. “The law applies equally to me as it does to everyone else and I strongly support that.”